The Royal Princess Workout – the #1 Exercise for Kate Middleton’s Wedding
February 22, 2011
The soon-to-be Royal Princess, Kate Middleton, has only two months left before the amazing Royal Wedding. What can she physically do in that time? With her schedule I bet she is very limited, so that’s why this is the single best exercise she can do now until the wedding.
This is the perfect way to support her balance, core and center of gravity. And it’s the Royal Princess Workout because, of course, you’d want to be able to balance that crown on the top of your head. When you lean too far forward or too far back that crown will fall off.
The goal was to select an exercise where your core is pulled in tight, (with your abs in towards the stomach), to get a good overall body workout. If you want the full Royal Princess Workout, you can see the nine key exercises which will comprise of a full-body workout in the “Fast and Fierce Fitness Made Fabulously Fun” book. That will accomplish this goal quite nicely.
Balance is the Key to Success
Without a firm foundation of strength in your abdominals and low back, well, there’s no way you will be able to make the incredible progress we’re looking for in two months. This exercise will depend on an ideal posture and breathing properly throughout the movement.
I want you to visualize holding in your abs on every lift and in every physical activity you do throughout your busy work day. If the princess can do it, so can you.
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By doing this exercise you will build the strength of the core through mental focus and physical discipline, and as you progress, you will see that this exercise will lay the groundwork for posture, elegance and grace—the three cornerstones of being a true “Princess.”
“Princess Plie’” – Plie’ Squat with Ball – Begin with the legs wide with a 45 degree turn out with the toes. Inhale, keep your arms straight, touch the ball to the ground by bending your knees. Keep your shoulders over your hips. Exhale and squeeze your booty as you straighten your legs. Raise the ball with straight arms above your head. As you raise the ball, your abs will pull in towards the spine, focusing on the core. Repeat three sets of 20 repetitions.
Options:
If this is too easy with the fit ball, you can use a weighted medicine ball, but don’t use a weight too heavy that will make you sacrifice form.
If this is challenging with the ball, you can do this just holding a pillow, and focusing on the key components like breathing with the movement, squeezing the booty to stand up, and pulling the abs in during the entire exercise.
This is a full body exercise that will get you and Kate ready for the big day. We wish you the best Kate!!
Sleep on This Thought
February 16, 2011
We all know that getting enough sleep is good for us, but now a new study suggests that getting too little shut-eye can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular disease that can result in early death.
Researchers found you have a 48% chance of developing or dying from heart disease, and a 15% chance of having or dying of a stroke, if you sleep less than six hours, or have disturbed sleep. According to the study, published in the European Heart Journal, the results came from a meta-analysis of 15 other sleep studies. (A meta-anaylsis integrates a number of studies into one study.) Researchers followed nearly 475,000 adults from eight countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Israel for seven to 25 years.
“There is an expectation in today’s society to fit more into our lives. The whole work/life balance struggle is causing too many of us to trade in precious sleeping time to ensure we complete all the jobs we believe are expected of us,” said Professor Francesco Cappuccio of the University of Warwick Medical School in the United Kingdom and a lead author of the study. “The trend for late nights and early mornings is actually a ticking time bomb for our health so you need to act now to reduce your risk of developing these life-threatening conditions.”
Cappuccio says getting between six and eight hours of sleep regularly is optimum. “By ensuring you have about seven hours of sleep a night, you are protecting your future health and reducing the risk of developing chronic diseases. If you reduce your sleep below a certain level, five hours or less, you run into trouble,” he said. “Not just tomorrow because you are tired, but you build up a steady risk of developing a chronic condition late in life. Sleep is not a commodity that can be traded off.” There are only 24 hours in the day, no matter how you look at it, and every day you need to have those seven hours of sleep.
Dr. Michelle Miller, also from the University of Warwick and co-author of the study, says sleep deprivation actually causes a number of changes in the body. “Chronic short sleep produces hormones and chemicals in the body which increase the risk of developing heart disease and strokes, and other conditions like high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.” All of those conditions are also risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Hormone changes can lead to glucose intolerance and insulin resistance–both markers that lead to type 2 diabetes and increases in blood pressure. Chronic lack of sleep can activate a chemical in the body called cytokines, inflammation markers that are the basis for atherosclerosis–or hardening of the arteries–also common in people who have heart attacks and stroke. This is especially important for women, as we have discovered the number one cause of death is cardiovascular disease, you can refer back to the “Heart Healthy Habits” article.
In contrast, getting too much sleep can also have negative implications. Cappuccio says sleeping more than nine hours could be an indication of illness–including cardiovascular disease. “Long sleep rather than being the cause of disease is more likely to represent an early marker, the early stages of chronic conditions like depression.”
Did you know, sleep deprivation has to be considered a lifestyle risk factor similar to smoking, alcohol and lack of exercise? This is something that can be easily preventable with a bit of schedule adjustment and time management. You really do have control over this lifestyle risk factor.
According to American Heart Association spokesman Dr. Ralph Sacco, sleep is under recognized as a potential cardiovascular risk factor, and while this study provides intriguing evidence of the relationship, there is still a lot that is unknown about sleep disorders and their connection to heart disease and stroke.
“This is an association study that adds to evidence about an association but cannot determine mechanism or causation,” said Sacco. “We can’t make any causal claims yet based on this study that demonstrates an association but it raises suspicion about sleep disorder and cardiovascular and stroke risk.”
Here is a “Super Simple 7″ to live by which will improve heart health and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. They are:
1. Get active and stay active
2. Eat nutritious and healthy foods daily
3. Maintain a healthy weight within your range
4. Stop smoking
5. Control cholesterol (see #1)
6. Manage blood pressure (see #1)
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